Teens arrested after escaping group home

LOUISVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Two girls who escaped from a Blount County treatment center by pulling a fire alarm ended up in the Juvenile Detention Center the next day.

Local 8 News first brought you the story Monday night. Deputies say the teens also broke into a nearby home, stealing cash, even trying to steal a car.

Neighbors received a phone call from police, alerting them that the two teens had escaped.

Neighbor Thomas Nail said, "Searched things with a flashlight, I have a detached garage so I looked in there. didn't see anything so I locked it up and just left the outside lights on."

Nail has lived in the neighborhood for 22 years, and said he's found runaways at his home at least four times. "It's part of life, but it's one of those kind of irritating parts of life that we have to put up with."

A manager of the home said the group serves teens with behavioral problems. The companies website said Acadia has 145 beds and serves 13 to 17 year olds "suffering from emotional or behavioral disorders who have not responded to less intensive treatment approaches."

This was the first time Blount County sent out a phone call, and neighbors appreciated the new system.

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